If I've got those two things, I know I've got a great polish on my hands. But when a polish is completely opaque in ONE coat? You've got a One-Coat Wonder right there! OCW's are a rare and beautiful breed. They allow you to not mess around with application too much and a great manicure is done in no time.

My good DSLR camera isn't working properly so I'm using my iPhone for pics. I apologize for the poorer quality photos.

So I dug up 5 polishes from my stash that can be classified as a One-Coat Wonder. As you can tell by the title, this is Part 1 in a series. I've got a few more polishes that fit this description so there will be a Part 2 in the future. Let's see some one-coaters shall we!

School of Hard Rocks

I lusted after this polish for so long all because of Pinterest. When I finally did get my hands on it, I found it was a dupe for Vested Interest. That didn't sway my love for it and that love only grew when I saw how easy it was to apply. I did a bit of research before writing this post to see what Essie polishes are commonly considered One-Coat Wonders by others and this one popped up time after time. I did find that it needed a slightly thicker coat to become completely opaque, but application is easy and super smooth.

On the nails: 1 coat of Essie School of Hard Rocks + 1 coat Essie Good to Go

Suite Retreat

I ordered Suite Retreat as soon as it was released in Canada. I was so happy to find that the prettiest colour from the new Resort 2015 Collection had such a fantastic formula! This polish is so opaque and buttery smooth. It really truly lives up to the title of One-Coat Wonder. You don't have to apply this one thicker or anything. Just one normal coat and she's perfect.

On the nails: 1 coat of Essie Suite Retreat

Haute in the Heat

These bright raspberry shades get me every time and I fell hard for Haute in the Heat from the Summer 2014 collection. She applies just like butter. If you've got longer nails, you will need to use a slightly thicker coat (not crazy thick, just not super thin) to cover the nail line. She's pretty and opaque and wonderful.

On the nails: 1 coat of Essie Haute in the Heat + 1 coat Essie Good to Go

Partner in Crime

I love me some dark chocolate but I had no idea how beautiful it would be on the nails. This polish was a complete surprise to me this Winter when I found myself reaching for it again and again. It's absolutely stellar application should have you reaching for it too! It came out in the Fall 2014 Dress to Kilt Collection. She's a must-have if you like dark polishes

On the nails: 1 coat of Essie Partner in Crime

Midnight Cami

I've had this idea to do a One-Coat Wonder post for awhile now and have been making little notes of polishes that I know can be applied in one coat. But I didn't know this pretty baby fit in here until a couple days ago! Midnight Cami is a beautiful navy polish that has depth to it with very finely milled blue shimmer that catches in the light. It's my favourite navy polish. I was in the mood to use it the other day and happily discovered it was completely opaque in one coat. Application is very easy, and the polish goes on so smooth.

*Updated October 8, 2015: I actually own two bottles of Midnight Cami, one that I've had for years and one that a friend gifted me brand new. I used this polish recently and discovered it did NOT in fact apply in one coat. I'm thinking I was using my brand new bottle yesterday, but when I did this one-coat wonder post I must have been using my older bottle. So a bottle of Midnight Cami that is a bit older, the formula will be a bit thicker and apply in one coat but a brand new bottle will not. Sorry to mislead anyone!

On the nails: 1 coat of Essie Midnight Cami + 1 coat Essie Good to Go

I know some people who don't love painting their nails and want colour on their nails without hassle. The great thing about all five of these polishes is that you can truly just apply one coat of polish and it will dry quickly for you and your manicure could be done right then and there! But for best results and a mani that will last, I recommend not skipping base or top coat. The base coat that will truly serve you well in this scenario is Essie Fill the Gap or Ridge Filling Base. These will give you a smooth nail to work with as well as they have a "nail colour" colour to them which will cover the whites of your nail or any imperfections you have. Kind of like applying gesso to a canvas before you apply paint colour, or foundation to your face before the rest of your makeup. When you apply the one-coat of polish you will be guaranteed to get an even, opaque colour. Finish with a coat of top coat to prevent your mani from chipping and looking super shiny. My fave is Essie Good to Go.

Have you tried any of these polishes? What other Essie polishes do I need to know about that are One-Coat Wonders? Like I said, this is only Part 1 of this series, so if you let me know your favourite One-Coat Wonder I'll be sure to check it out for future posts.